Fighting Racism at Beitar Jerusalem

'Jerusalem Tolerant Forever'

Last Sunday night NIF's Kick it Out (KIO) program and the NIF-supported Tag Meir Coalition organized an anti-racism demonstration at Beitar Jerusalem's Teddy Stadium before the club's Premier League game with Bnei Sakhnin, a predominantly Arab team. The event was held in response to an upsurge in racism following the club's decision to sign two Chechen-Muslim players in January.

Beitar Jerusalem has long been associated with Israel's political right, and had never before signed a Muslim player. At the game following the announcement, an extremist fan group known as "La Famiglia" unfurled a banner reading "Beitar Pure Forever" and sang anti-Muslim chants. Since the match, extremists have come to Beitar's training sessions to boo the Muslim players. Last week matters came to a head when unknown perpetrators set fire to the club's offices and museum. Given these events, and the traditional animosity between Beitar and Sakhnin, NIF and Tag Meir began organizing a demonstration opposing racism and in solidarity with the vast majority of Beitar fans who want to see the extremists rooted out of the club.

Under the banner of "Jerusalem Tolerant Forever," around 200 people gathered to hear speeches supporting the club and the municipality's efforts to combat racism, and to make a statement that Beitar Jerusalem belongs to its tolerant majority.

Speakers included former Knesset speaker and member of NIF's International Council Avraham Burg; Israeli-Arab sports broadcaster Zuheir Bahloul; Jerusalem Council member Laura Wharton; new MK Micky Levi (Yesh Atid); and several former players. Burg said, “Beitar and Jerusalem go together. There is no place for racism in sport. If we don't do something now, they will ask us in 20 years why we arrived too late. Jerusalem is a city of many peoples, a city of tolerance."

The event received widespread international media coverage, including articles in the AP and BBC World.

Avraham Burg being interviewed at the event.

Since its founding a decade ago, NIF's KIO program has brought significant attention – and solutions – to the problem of racism in the stadium. In a league where Jewish-Arab partnership is common, Beitar's track record and fan behavior has earned official reprimand in the past. But recent events provide a historic opportunity to uproot racism from the club once and for all, and to have a significant impact on anti-racism struggles throughout Israel.